


Trash, Soap Operas and Suicide

by orphan_account



Category: Hello Charlotte (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bullying, Dysfunctional Family, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Major Character Injury, Multi, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Other, Platonic Romance, Spoilers, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25839451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: They had never been friends, just classmates. But this whole plan was being carried out simply because of her. According to his friends, she had crossed the line. She let her fear and paranoia get the better of her. And she needed to be taught a lesson.. But they couldn’t do that yet.“I know what you’re up to..” She didn’t turn to look at him as she spoke. “You should stop now, or you’ll regret it.”“Or what, you’ll get blackmail on me too?” Lucien’s lip raised into a snarl. “Those are pretty bold words coming from someone like you. I don’t think you have a place to say anything. Just remember that whatever happens is your fault.” He brushed off his shoulder as if she had passed an infection onto him through the brief contact they made. His smile returned, painted on professionally with finger-paint. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll be going now.”-Spoilers in the next line-An AU set in the True Realm where Charles never commits suicide. Self-indulgent, yes. There will be spoilers and hopefully feels.TWs: Bullying, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicidal Behavior, Mysophobia-It's Hello Charlotte, what do you expect :)
Relationships: Charles Eyler & Anri Warhol, Charles Eyler/Vincent Wordsworth





	1. Infection

_Today is the day._ Getting out of bed, following his daily routine, Lucien Fogel was ready to face today's challenges. Was he confident about it? No, absolutely not. He wanted nothing more than to crawl right back into bed and stay there. But he had a job to do, and he also had to go to school. They were waiting for him after all.

Stepping into the kitchen, Lucien’s feet sounded lightly against the wooden flooring. He glanced over to see a head of red hair and flashed a smile. It was returned with a disgusted grimace.

“Penelope? I thought you went to school already.” The pink haired boy said, reaching out to ruffle up his little sister’s hair. She evaded however, narrowly avoiding spilling her coffee on him. He was willing to bet that she would have laughed if it did burn him.

“No, stupid. I have to eat too.” She took a seat at the table with two chairs, and began to eat her toast. “Not like I can rely on my useless big brother to feed me.” The red-head added under her breath.

Lucien’s smile faltered and he left the room to get his shoes on and head out. She didn’t need him to hold her hand.. But he’d never been there for her anyway, never even offered.

_This is why I’m doing this for you. I’ll show you I can be a big brother you can depend on._

He promised her mentally as he pulled the door open and went on his way. He trusted that she would be following behind him soon.

The walk was pleasant enough. The air was fresh and brisk. It felt like a knife stabbing him in the lungs when he took a deep breath. The path to school was concrete, probably made from an old road. This was a shitty city though, so abandoned and unused roads weren’t uncommon.

This was the life he lived— Repeated every single day with no end in sight. It was enough to drive a person mad with how colorless everything was.

And yet, he didn’t have a care.

His pink curls swayed in his stride and he stopped in his tracks upon spotting his group of friends. They were kicking and beating on someone who was begging for help, but Lucien couldn’t care less who it was or why they were doing this. They probably deserved it anyway. “Hey guys.” He chirped.

“Hey Luci, have you talked to him yet?” One of the boys asked him, taking his attention away from the student on the ground.  
  
“Not yet. I will today though.”  
  
“Let us know when you do.”

With a curt nod, Lucien turned and headed on his way. Why did it feel like every time he tried to have a conversation, it was about _him?_ Why couldn’t they talk about something else? They were really serious about their vendettas.. And he was doing his best to be serious about it too. But repetition was something he always hated. He grew tired of it ever so quickly. But when it came to daily life, there was just no helping the repetition. In order to try and avoid it, he had been friendly.

He was nice, he stayed on everyone’s good sides. He didn’t step out of line. He did what he was asked to do, regardless of what it was. But it would always bother him how everyone was always so fake around him. Why couldn’t they be themselves? Better at least one of them be genuine, right? At least he knew that his sister’s distaste for him was very real and genuine.

But that was what kept him going, his desire to please her and make her look up to him. Otherwise, he likely would have been one of the people who gave in to their never ending despair a long time ago. He owed his sister a lot for that.

Lucien realized that he had spaced out entirely, since the next thing he knew, he was on the second floor of their school. Classes went by like a blur, and the distant sound of the bell ringing was what brought him back. He had on that same pleasant smile he wore every day as he made his way down the hall towards the staircase. “Ah, I’m sorry-” His shoulder brushed against someone else’s, but his blood ran cold when he noticed who it was.

Henrietta Warhol, a girl who preferred to be called ‘Anri’ was a student just like him. Both of them were in their final year of highschool. In many ways, he and Henrietta were very similar. The two of them liked to lay low and stay out of trouble. The more people who liked them, the better, whether they had to fake it until they made it or not. They both had parental issues, they both had one sibling.. But the large difference between them had been revealed to him very recently.

They had never been friends, just classmates. Everything he knew about her, he had heard second-hand from his group of friends. But this whole plan was being carried out simply because of _her_. According to his friends, she had crossed the line. She let her fear and paranoia get the better of her. And she needed to be taught a lesson.. But they couldn’t do that yet.

“I know what you’re up to..” She didn’t turn to look at him as she spoke. “You should stop now, or you’ll regret it.”

“Or what, you’ll get blackmail on me too?” Lucien’s lip raised into a snarl. “Those are pretty bold words coming from someone like you. I don’t think you have a place to say anything. Just remember that whatever happens is your fault.” He brushed off his shoulder as if she had passed an infection onto him through the brief contact they made. His smile returned, painted on professionally with finger-paint. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll be going now.”

The silence on Henrietta’s end was satisfying in itself. Without another word, he continued on to the rooftop where he had been correct in assuming his target was.

Black hair was blowing very faintly in the breeze that seemed to be constant on the roof. His sharp eyes were focused on the notebook in his lap. He looked as though he was at peace, but also in very deep thought. Lucien approached the bench he was sitting on and promptly took a seat next to him.

“What are you up to?” The casual line was very out of turn. The two of them weren’t friends either. Charles Eyler was the boy he was currently gazing over, a smile tugging at his lips. Charles released a short noise of surprise and almost fell off of the bench in his rush to put more space between them. “Sorry.. You startled me.” He looked bashful almost, hiding his notepad and placing gloved hands in his lap. As if that wasn’t sketchy already. Lucien inwardly sighed since he couldn’t care less what had been written down. Maybe it was something dirty? Like he wrote down every fantasy he had about his friends-!

_Gross, Lucien._

“Hehe, sorry about that.” The pink haired boy giggled. “I guess you’re not used to other people being up here, huh?”

“Yes. I come up here because it’s usually quiet-..” Charles appeared to have a moment of self-reflection. “That was rude of me. What’s your name?” At this point, the other seemed to just be carrying on a conversation because it would be awkward not to.

“I’m Lucien Fogel.” He would have held out a hand for him to shake.. But something kept him from doing so. “You’re Charles Eyler, right?” He tilted his head, hoping Eyler wouldn’t instantly assume he knew him because he was famous or something stupid..

“I am. It’s nice to meet you, Lucien. I was just writing down some things for later.. Notes so I don’t forget.”

“Oh, you write? I didn’t know.” Lying through his teeth, he clapped his hands together. Anyone who even passively knew Charles knew that he was a writer. He always had his head in some philosophy book or was lecturing Henrietta about some new age theory.. What a nerd.

“Mm. It’s sort of my passion.” Charles wasn’t making eye contact with him as he spoke. Most would likely find it rude, but Lucien could tell it was just because he was awkward. At least he was trying, he had to give him points for that. “May I read some of your writing? Have you published any of it online?” Perhaps somewhat invasive questions. All part of the plan.

“Oh.. Sure.” Charles gave him his online pseudonym; Charlotte Wiltshire. How odd. But Lucien looked it up immediately on his phone.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. Lucien didn’t even notice it since he was busy in the mobile realm, and Charles was becoming increasingly nervous. No one had ever read his works in front of him.. Well, besides Anri when he asked her to.

“You have a lot of kudos and followers..” Lucien hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but he chalked it up to him just being so surprised by it. Was he expecting just a bunch of shitty fanfictions and word vomit?... Maybe. But based on what he was reading now, it was far from that. “This is good.”

Humming as though he didn’t believe him, Charles had on a gentle smile. “It’s alright if you don’t like it. You should look up a writer who goes by ‘C’. Their work is much better than mine.”

“You like them?” He assumed so, if he liked them to the point that he felt the need to recommend them on the spot.. He must like them a lot.

“I’m an avid follower of their writing.” _What an odd way to put it.. Why not just say he was a fan?_ “I even made the art for some of their works..”

“You can draw too? I didn’t know you were so talented, Eyler.” Lucien’s playful tone made the dark haired boy’s smile widen ever so slightly. It was a nice sight for some reason.

“I’m not talented. It is only thanks to C’s descriptiveness that I was able to draw.”

_This guy.. really liked to put himself down, huh?_ “I don’t think you should say that.” Lucien turned his gaze back to his phone as he spoke. “You should get just as much credit too. It’s like with a piece of piano music,” He paused, “The composer might not be the one playing the piano, but it still sounds just as beautiful as it would if the composer himself were playing it.” _Did that even make sense? The point is, stop putting yourself down!!_ Looking up at Eyler’s expression, it seemed as though he was contemplating his words.

“..If you say so.” Was his let-down of a response. His smile seemed a bit more forced now. But this was a good time to change the subject. “Sit with me at lunch, okay? I’d like to talk about your writing more.” Lucien stood up.

“I don’t think I-” A quick glance at Lucien’s smile made it clear that no wasn’t an option. “... Okay.” He sighed with defeat.

“Great! I’ll see you there!” Lucien turned on his heel and made to leave the roof. That had gone.. About as smoothly as he had expected. Truth be told, despite talking about Eyler a lot among his friends.. They were usually just making fun of him, and he didn’t really know much about him. This could turn interesting on his part..

At the bottom of the stairs, his friend from earlier was waiting for him, as if on cue. “So? Did you talk to him?”

“Yep! He’s meeting me in the cafeteria.” _Though I still don’t get why all of this ‘preparation’ is necessary…_ “He seems pretty…” _Awkward? Aloof? Like he’s not even altogether there? Like he hasn’t really smiled in ten years?--_ “gullible. It’s no wonder he’s dating Henrietta.”

His friend scoffed. “Right? Anyway, don’t let him catch on to what we’re doing.” The boy turned away, “But stay in contact with him.”

Lucien nodded obediently. “I will.”

Charles Eyler deserved to be hurt anyway. This was all.. For the best. Things would be better after this, for sure.

* * *

**_COUGH,_ ** _cough_

Lucien woke with a start, immediately becoming aware of the cold sweat that overwhelmed his body. He felt as though he could be sick at any moment. But as he leaned over the bed to empty the contents of his stomach, he could only dry heave. There was nothing to empty.

His senses gradually returned to him, curly pink bangs sticking to his forehead. "Wh… What.. happened.."

"Useless big brother.." A sigh sounded from his sister. How long had she been standing by his bed? "You passed out in the school cafeteria. You didn't eat before you left, did you?" Her voice was stern and cold, full of disappointment.

He wanted to believe somewhere in there, she was being like this out of concern. But silence was all he could offer in response, averting her gaze at all costs. He really hadn't eaten. But it was just because he had forgotten to..

"Go get something to eat from the kitchen. He's here now too thanks to you. Be sure to thank him for dragging your sorry ass back here."

_Ah, so that's why she is upset._

He got out of bed and clumsily made his way out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. A cold shower would feel like heaven right about now. But unfortunately heaven would have to wait, since he now had Beelzebub in his kitchen.

"Oh, there you are." Charles stopped his pacing and released a sigh when he saw Lucien enter the room. "I did not agree to such a scare when I said I would sit with you.." Despite his words, his tone was gentle rather than scolding. Again, odd.

"I wasn't expecting it either. I'm sorry about that." Lucien wasted no time in making himself a sandwich, doing this as he spoke. "I'm sure I'll get a lecture from Penelope about taking care of myself as soon as you leave." He wasn't looking forward to it.

"Penelope? Is she the girl who was in here earlier?"

"Yes. That's my sister."

"Ah, she gave me a very.." Charles thought back on all the cold glares the girl sent his way even as he explained her brother's condition, "warm welcome."

"Sorry about her… She's always like that." Yet another lie. _Who's being suspicious here, sister?_ The girl acted totally different around her friends. That seemed to be a popular trend that he was beginning to notice..

"No worries. The school nurse said I should take you home. I tried to contact your parents but.." Again, Charles' gaze was elsewhere. Lucien immediately picked up. "They're always busy. Don't worry about it. It's been just me and my sister for a really long time. We're used to it."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Charles didn't know what to say.

"It's okay." Lucien offered a reassuring smile. It wasn't really a hard subject for him. It was just reality.

There was a silence that filled the air. Until Lucien broke it.

"Do you have any siblings?"

For some reason, Charles was hesitant, as though he was deciding how to respond. _It was a yes or no question, right?_ The awkward silence quickly returned.

"No. It's just me and my mother." He finally answered.

"You're lucky. Siblings are such a headache." Lucien tried to joke to lighten the mood. But it didn't work.

Charles looked so terribly uncertain, like there was something right on the tip of his tongue but he was desperately holding back from saying it. Lucien was curious to say the least. But clearly the subject had swiftly made Eyler uncomfortable.

"I guess we ended up hanging out anyway, huh? Though this isn't really what I had planned." The pink haired boy scratched lightly at his cheek.

"I guess you're right."

"The next time we hang out won't end up the same way, I promise."

Charles responded with a simple smile.

"You're free to stay if you want. Though there's not really much to do." He wasn't sure why he offered. Surely Penelope was waiting right by the door for Charles to make his leave.

"Thank you for the offer, but I should really be going now." Charles had to take care of his mother after all. "I'm glad to see you're okay though."

"Mm." Lucien smiled sweetly, "Thanks again. And be careful going home. I'll give you my number so you can text me when you get there, okay?"

"I will. Good night." Charles was soon making his leave out of the house.

As soon as Lucien got back inside from walking him out, he returned to the kitchen to find his sister sitting at the table with a scowl on her face.

"You're already being too friendly with him."

Lucien played with his fingers in front of him. "Isn't that the whole point?" Charles was polite! It was difficult to be mean to him.

Penelope was determined, and the hate in her voice only increased as she spoke. "So long as you don't forget.."

"Passing out in the cafeteria aside. I got his phone number!" Lucien pointed out optimistically.

"Yeah, and he got our address." Penelope spat back. "Don't play around. Remember what you're doing this for." Her gaze darkened. "We'll get back at that damn Henrietta no matter what."

Lucien averted his eyes but nodded. Regardless, he couldn't help but think that it was nice of Charles to help him..  
  


* * *

Charles released an exhausted sigh as soon as he stepped into his room.

It was much later than it usually was when he got home, but Mother had still been in bed anyway. He quickly gave her some food and her nightly medicine and told her good night.

The guilt was eating at him though. The thought of his Mother laying in bed hungry while he was carrying around some total stranger was bad enough. But he somehow only made it worse for himself. What would she do if he was gone? Would she really just lay there and die? Had his mother always been nothing more than a vegetable?

Heh.

If his mother was a vegetable, she was surely a rotted one. One that was bound to never grow. The miscarriage of her daughter was gradually eating her away from the inside, like an infection. Like maggots.

The thought had Charles running, pale-faced to the bathroom. He ripped off his gloves as if they were on fire and jerked on the water faucet. His hands were rough, raw and red from this constant cycle that he could never seem to break. If he could just rid himself of this dirtiness.

  
_Scrubbing, scrubbing,_ **_scrubbing_ **

  
If he could just be clean enough, get rid of the rot! He could fill his dead sister's shoes.

Red hair. A disappointed glare. The perfect daughter. She was standing in the corner of his eyes.

He could become a doctor and help Mother! If only this cursed infestation would go away!

**_Scrubbing, SCRUBBING, SCRUBBING_ **

A drop hit the bottom of the sink.

His hands were bleeding.

Only then did Charles vaguely become aware of the familiar burning and stinging sensation that crawled up his arms through his hands and made his entire body ache.

Cursing under his breath, he reached into the medicine cabinet. How many times had he done this now?

A gasp caught in his throat however when he noticed the girl standing in the mirror, close behind him.

"There you go, wasting time again." She spoke. A voice he had never heard, merely a figment of his imagination. That's all she was. And he knew it. He had known for a long time that his mother's condition and the entire event had brought him to the point that he could see and hear his unborn sister.

She was beautiful, with pale cheeks, red hair and lips that were in a permanent pout. Had she been alive, she would be a few years younger than him. She was what he imagined his mother had wanted. 

But she got him instead.

The exact opposite. A boy who could hardly take care of her and support her like he was supposed to. Ugly. Dirty. Infested.

"Leave me be, Scarlett." All he had to do was return to his room and take his medication to make her go away. But it was difficult to ignore her, especially when she would become violent at times when he did.

"What did you help him for? If you keep goofing off like this, wasting time on pointless things, Mother will die. Is that what you want?"

"No. No, of course not."

"Then get to work. The trial starts soon. You don't have much time left."

The dark haired boy's gaze was low, as though he was hoping that if he looked away long enough, she would disappear. He calmly slipped his gloves back on after tending to his hands, and then returned to his room.

As much as he hated to admit it as he downed his medication along with a glass of water— She was right. He didn't have much time. He wouldn't reach his goals by sitting around and doing nothing.

However, sitting down at his computer desk, a tired smile tugged at his lips.

C was online.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm Ren! I hope you like this fic so far. I swear I have a plan LOL. Feel free to hmu on Discord, my @ is @pick your struggle#2351
> 
> Penelope uses 'Girl B's design, while Lucien's is original. But here is what they look like
> 
> Lucien: https://ibb.co/FntNrC3
> 
> Penelope: https://ibb.co/Sx2LRyS


	2. Poison

The following weeks were shockingly uneventful. No one felt as though it was a proper time to take action yet. Maybe they were waiting to see if Anri would give up what she had without any sort of trouble. But there was the issue of approaching her without making it obvious and causing her to use the blackmail she had against them. She was still just chatting away with her friends as usual. Not that she was a very social type.

Honestly, Lucien couldn’t care less at this point. The goal? Befriend Charles and get him in a vulnerable enough place with Henrietta that he and his friends could threaten Charles and force her to give up what she had. Did he accomplish this goal? Yes.. and no. He was sitting in his seat in their classroom, scrolling over recent texts. He felt as though he had succeeded in befriending Charles.. Bugging him every chance he got and invading every nook and cranny of his personal space kind of forced that. But he had laid back now. It was almost like they were normal friends in a way, even if there were the hidden intentions underneath it all.

In the chatrooms, it was easy to pretend that there wasn’t any stupid drama that had forced him to befriend this particular individual. But now that he thought about it, despite it having been weeks since they first introduced each other on the roof, Lucien still didn’t feel like he knew much about Charles at all. He had the honor of being added to a group chat that included himself, Charles (who still went by Charlotte Wiltshire), C and Anri.

C seemed a bit off to him in a way. The way they spoke like they were some sort of gentle, ethereal being. And it was saying something considering Lucien could pick that up  _ across text _ . They always spoke easily with Charles, usually about writing or about some odd.. Paradise? This made him raise an eyebrow. But he supposed it should have come as no surprise that Charles’s friends were as weird as him.

Anri being there as well always made things a bit tense for Lucien. He quickly learned to brush off her rudeness. Aside from when he himself was speaking, she added playful banter to the conversation whenever she spoke and though they were obviously close, Lucien couldn’t help but feel as though she and Charles didn’t exactly.. seem like a couple? What did he know about relationships anyway.

Seeing this side of them made it increasingly difficult to remember that there was a goal in mind. Anri’s life would be made miserable if the school girls had anything to say about it. But ultimately was this really all for some petty revenge? Why did his sister have to be like this.. He sighed at this, only to feel a light tap on his shoulder. Looking up and seeing Charles’s face, he tilted his head. “The bell rang.”

“Oh! Right, right..” Lucien stood up and began to gather his things. He had been so spaced out that he didn’t notice the rest of the students flooding out the door. It had been their final class for the day, and one could almost feel the collective sighs of relief. He glanced around awkwardly, feeling a hint of panic when he saw that Charles was heading out as well. “Eyler, wait.” Lucien followed after him. Already, a tint of red rested on his face as the two of them stood in the hallway.

“So.. My sister is having her group of friends over tonight and she doesn’t want me there.” This was probably one of the most awkward things he had ever done and he could already see the uncertain squint in Charles’ eyes. “She told me to ask my friends if I could stay with them..” This genuinely wasn’t a part of any scheme.  _ He had asked everyone else and they said no.  _ “Would you mind too much if I spent the night? I promise I won’t touch anything!” It wasn’t too hard to pick up on the dark haired boy’s germophobia.. At least it meant he would be staying at a clean place.

“Oh.” Charles clearly had not been expecting the conversation to go like this. He averted the blue eyed boy’s gaze in thought. “Have you asked anyone else? I’m not really prepared for the company…”

“I’ve asked everyone else! Please, I don’t want to have to beg my sister to let me stay home again!” This was supposed to be the part where he was on his knees, right? Well, his hands were clasped together so he might as well have been. This might have seemed out of character for him.. But he really really didn’t want to. His sister and her friends always picked on him to no end and staying there would be a nightmare anyway. Anyone was a better option. … It was still pretty humiliating to admit that his younger sister had so much control over him.

Charles let out a sigh of defeat once again. Just like on the rooftop, he couldn’t say no. “Fine. You can stay for tonight.”

“Ah, you’re my savior!” Lucien laughed a bit. His bag already had the things he would need.. The issue had been finding someone to stay with. So with that issue out of the way, the two left the school building.

As the two made their way down sidewalks and dark streets, Lucien’s mind wandered in the silence that sat between them. Somehow it was a comfortable one. Lucien realized that he didn’t even know where Eyler lived and now he was thinking that they might not live far away from each other. “So.. C?” That was always a topic that got Charles talking.   
  
“What about them?”   
  
“When they talk about leaving this place and creating their own paradise.. Do you know what they mean?” It was so out there that Lucien couldn’t wrap his head around it. So odd.

“C believes that when they go, their soul will create a new universe that they will be the god of.”

“ _ When they go… _ ” The pink haired boy’s voice trailed off. He didn’t like what that implied. Was this C person okay? The more he learned about this little group, the more concerned he got. "Do you believe this?" Curiosity forced the question. "I think so, yes." There was a certain hesitation in his voice. Lucien could tell that meant he was lying. Or perhaps he was just unsure about it.. Regardless, Lucien immediately wanted to change the subject, since he disliked where it was going. “Mm. How are things with Anri?”  _ Just a couple of weeks ago it had been ‘Miss Warhol’, when did they become so formal!? This girl was supposed to be his enemy! Well, technically so was Charles.. _

“Is it just me or does she always seem so frustrated?” It was meant to be a joke, but Charles’ gaze was on the ground in front of him.

He wasn’t seriously still thinking about the stuff C said, right? “But I can tell she’s really happy when you’re around.” This made Charles glance up and flash a smile that was obviously forced. Never before had Lucien so strongly desired to see into someone’s mind before.

“We’re doing just fine. She has a lot going on at home though-” Charles explained shortly, only to nearly trip when Lucien suddenly stopped in his tracks. “What are you doing??” The dark haired boy immediately inquired, only for the other to shush him.

“There’s a cat!” Lucien stepped off of the sidewalk and down into the nearest alleyway where he had seen a cat disappear around the corner. Out of sheer curiosity and maybe a desire to not be left alone, Charles followed after him. Though he didn’t understand what could possibly be so fascinating about a stray cat..

The next thing he saw was Lucien crouched on his knees, petting a cat and muttering stupidly sweet things to it. Charles approached, but remained a good distance away. That cat was probably filthy.. He didn’t understand how Lucien was petting it with his bare hand but just the sight of it made him shiver. He decided to speak up. “.. I once had a cat when I was younger.” Ah, these were old and fond memories.

Memories of the days when mother was still full of life and energy, back before the name Scarlett Eyler had ever been muttered. “His name was Felix.”

“Oh really? That’s a cute name.” Lucien smiled gently. He got something out of his bag and set it down for the cat to eat. The cat was definitely underweight. It was drooling and probably had many health issues, but Lucien seemed ignorant to that. “I want to name this one.”

Charles held back a sigh. Really, was Lucien a child? You don’t just name stray animals, that was a sure-fire way of getting attached to something you would never see again. But he refrained from commenting.

Picking up his bag and finally standing up straight, he turned to Charles. “Bennett! I like Bennett. Don’t you?”

“Hmm.. That is a nice name.” Charles approved, he couldn’t lie. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. Perhaps it was the way that a sound went off in the distance, but he was reminded that it was gradually growing very late.  _ He still had to check on Mother..  _ The regret of agreeing to this was growing rapidly. “We should be going now. Say farewell to Bennett, will you?”

Lucien laughed at that. “You go along with things surprisingly easily..” He commented, but shook his head down at the cat. “Bye-bye.” After this, he hurried off once more. It was almost like he could sense this urgency from Charles, but he clearly wanted to be home as soon as possible. Maybe his mother would be worried about him? Or maybe he just got homesick really easily. Lucien couldn't relate to either..

* * *

Upon entering the Eyler household, which was really just a two bedroom apartment, Lucien was met with.. about what he had expected. It was squeaky clean with everything in place and Lucien suddenly became self-conscious of the dirt on his  _ shoes. _ "Wow.. You and your mom must be real clean freaks, huh?"

Charles merely chuckled at that.  _ Nope, it was just him. _

"I hope you don't mind sleeping in the living room. I believe the couch folds out into a bed."

"I don't mind at all. Thank you for letting me stay for the night. You've helped me out once again." Lucien was already setting out his things.

"It's no trouble.. Will you be alright in here?" There was a hint of impatience in the dark haired boy's voice. Lucien nodded in confirmation and then watched Charles go into the hallway and enter a room.

He was later given instructions to  _ "Please don't enter that room" _ And Lucien was quickly picking up untrustworthy vibes from Charles. He had seen enough media to know where this was going. Charles wasn't some psychopath who was taking care of his dead mother under the delusion that she was still alive, right!? But he said he lived with his mom, so where was she? And why had he been in such a hurry to get home if it was empty?

The questions gave Lucien a headache and he pulled the small blanket closer over him. The sofa-bed he was laying on wasn't comfortable in the least, but it was better than being kept awake all night by Penelope's bitch friends..

His anxieties faded gradually as he drifted off to sleep. But that didn't last long. He felt as though the second he closed his eyes, he woke up again to a soft line shining on his face through the blinds. "Mm.." He sat up and rubbed his eyes, blue orbs trying to focus. It was still early, for sure, but it didn't look like Charles was up yet either.

With a yawn that brought tears to his eyes, Lucien got out of bed and dragged his feet down the hall.

"Hey.. Eyler.. you up?" He asked, knocking on the door. When he received no answer, he turned the knob and pushed it open. Hopefully he wasn't changing or something.. The room had red hues to it, very calm and neutral feel to it. A photo of a woman and a young boy was framed on the wall, the two of them sporting lively smiles. Being the curious creature he was, as much as Lucien would have loved to snoop, he slowly made his way to the bed. "Eylerr… gotta get ready for school.." He patted the comforter very lightly. The pink haired boy figured that Charles was either a heavy sleeper, or he was just ignoring him on purpose.

With an irritated huff, Lucien was moments away from just tugging the comforters away when a gentle hand was placed on his head. It.. definitely didn't belong to Charles.

"Right… good luck at school today, Dear." A woman's voice sounded from the bed. She sounded weak and tired. Lucien was frozen in place from shock, eyes only then taking in the head of blond hair that was peaking out by the pillow. "Wha-" Before Lucien could comment, he found himself roughly tugged away from the bed.

Charles was in the room now, and he looked pale. "No, Mother. This is a friend of mine-"

"Oh.. You brought a friend? That's so sweet. Have fun. You're mommy's good little girl."

A great wall was suddenly built between the two boys in the room. "We will.." Charles smiled even though Lucien was afraid he would throw up at any minute. Meanwhile Lucien couldn't stop panicking in his mind  _ "what the fuck, what the fuck what the-???"  _ Only as he was practically dragged out of the room did he realize his mistake.

He had gone into the room Charles had asked him not to. Even so, that didn't explain what happened!! Naturally, Lucien would have just assumed that maybe Charles's mother was ultra tired. It was early in the morning after all. But judging by the way that Charles was seemingly on the verge of a panic attack, this was.. normal. Standing next to him in the hallway, Lucien sought answers. "Eyler.. What the fuck was that? I thought you said you don't have any siblings?"

"I…" Charles took a deep breath, his eyes to the floor and sweat forming at his brow, "I don't.. My mother is sick. I'm sorry. I should have warned you.."

There was no way that was even a quarter of the whole situation. Knowing this, Lucien couldn't brain himself to pry. Seeing Charles looking so weak, he felt a pang of regret. He gently reached out and patted his head as if in an attempt to calm him down. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have gone in there… It's alright." God, that was so weird though. It was so messed up if the situation was what he was assuming. Did Charles always have to take care of his mother like this? If so, Lucien had to wonder how the other was even supporting the two of them. Or why his mother wasn't getting help for this. Maybe she was.. He didn't know.

* * *

The two of them were mostly silent during the walk home. It was solemn and awkward, neither of them having any words to say after that incident.

They made one stop however. Lucien insisted on going into the alleyway again to see if he could find Bennett. "Bennett!!" He called out for the cat, as if it would know what it's name was after one night.. "Benne-!" Charles placed a hand on Lucien's shoulder to tell him to give up or they'd be late.. but the pink haired boy tensed up right at that moment.

Blue eyes glanced for a second at yellow ones before shifting back down to the ground a few feet ahead of them. Shoving aside a garbage bag with one foot, Lucien placed a hand over his mouth.

There the cat laid, on the ground and unmoving.

"Fogel." Charles spoke up, making the other look back at him. ".. We should go now." His gaze was gentle and remorseful, but he genuinely couldn't understand getting upset over an animal he had known for one night. He wished he had some words of comfort.. but Lucien merely nodded. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

His gaze turned even more solemn and empty after that, going about the school day in silence. Confusion and then sadness was not a good way to start his day to say the least, and he was thinking about it the entire time. It wasn't until hours later that he realized he had fed the cat chocolate. An ill cat.. and he fed it chocolate.

He really was an idiot, wasn't he?

That made him break into tears in the middle of class. He wished terribly that he was better at masking his emotions. He wished he was strong like Eyler, someone who could force a smile even in the face of his mother being delusional. But no. Lucien cried over his little sister being mean, he cried when a friend threatened to hit him, and he cried over animals that he barely even knew.

As soon as he got home, he took a shower and cleaned himself up, getting refreshed and beginning to fix up what Penelope's friends had made a mess of the night before. On a positive note, seeing Eyler's apartment had made him more determined to clean up his own. The living room wasn't nearly as bad as he expected, and he allowed himself a minute to sit down with his phone.

He found himself messaging Charles.

**Luci:** _You okay?_

**Charlotte:** _Are you?_

**Luci:** _Don't avoid the question.._

**Charlotte** :  _ … _

**Charlotte:** _I'm fine. I'm just sorry you had to see that._

Was he talking about the cat, or his mother?

**Luci:** _It's not your fault. Don't worry about it. Just…_

Lucien's fingers hovered over his screen as he contemplated sending his next message or not.

**Luci:** _Know if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here._

He didn't care. He wasn't supposed to care. And yet Charles was just growing more and more peculiar every day. He wanted to know more about him. He wanted to know what exactly was going on inside the world of Charles Eyler.. This was bad. Terribly bad. Penelope entered the room, pulling her shoulder length hair up into a ponytail. She didn't look like she wanted to converse, but Lucien desperately needed to confess. "Penelope."

"What?" She looked his way.

"I don't want to be friends with Charles Eyler anymore." He already didn't think he could bring himself to scheme against him and Henrietta anymore. It was too cruel.. Maybe after high school he could contact the two of them and be real friends with them.

"You have to." Penelope sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm asking you to do this one simple thing for me, Luci. I thought you said you didn't want to be useless anymore."

"I.. I don't. But I don't want to-"

"And what about me, huh?" Penelope's eyebrows creased and a look of hurt spread over her face. "You care more about some random kid at school than you care about me!? You really are a horrible big brother. I just need you to do this one thing so that mean Henrietta won't hurt me anymore..!" Her tears were fake, but they hurt Lucien just as much as real ones would.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it!" He submitted, defeated easily. He didn't want to be a horrible big brother. He'd just have to.. be more assertive! And keep doing what he was doing.. except keeping a safe distance from Anri and Charles. That wouldn't be too hard, right? Except.. once they found out what he was doing, surely they'd never forgive him.

Might as well make the most of this 'friendship' while he could then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this is going somewhere please don't give up on me


	3. Coward

Sometimes, Penelope wished she had been born as an only child. Things would be much easier then, surely. She couldn’t help her resentment towards her brother. The two of them had just been normal siblings in their youth. They spent their days playing and exploring, learning new things and developing, with two parents alongside them who loved them.

Until the day that Father came home and told them to pack up their things. They were moving to the city! Penelope didn’t want to go and threw a fit initially, while Lucien was unnaturally calm. He seemed happy about it almost. Of course their young minds were filled with colorful ideas of a new start, new adventures and new friends to be had.. But the city they moved to wasn’t anything like it had been described. 

Adjusting was an immense struggle. Penelope was picked on at school, and Lucien was too afraid to get involved. He didn’t want to be picked on too! The two grew somewhat cold towards one another. And then, Father came home alone. He wasn’t smiling either like he usually was. He would always at least try to smile for them. But the cold look on his face sent shivers down the two sibling’s spines.

Where was Mother? Why was Father so unhappy? None of their questions would be answered. Walking into the cramped apartment that the three of them lived in could surely ruin anyone’s day. The air was so tense and friendly conversation was scarce if not never heard. Penelope couldn’t get used to it. She stayed away from home as often as possible, as if she had grown a phobia for it.

As if Penelope’s childhood wonders and dreams couldn’t have been more flipped upside down and marred beyond recognition, their Father announced that he would be leaving. He promised to send them letters often, stating that he would be going overseas for work and didn’t know when he would be back. He would be sending money often to help them stay afloat and continue their education, but encouraged Lucien to get a job anyway to help out.

After that, he was gone.

Strangely enough, Penelope didn’t even think that Lucien missed him. Sure, Father had been rather harsh towards him ever since Mother disappeared, but Lucien had always been too lazy anyway..

Things didn’t get any better from there. Lucien fell into some sort of deep depression. He would stay holed up in his room for days without coming out for so much as something to eat. Penelope knew that she should have been concerned for him, but after a week of trying to coax him out, trying to get him out from the safety of his bed, her concern turned to rage. He was supposed to be the mature and responsible one! He was supposed to be taking care of her! She shouldn’t have to be babying him like this! This was exactly why Father never liked him.. And yet he never even tried to be better!

A cog fell into place in her mind one particularly harsh day after school. She had been bullied all day, but was dealing with it because she wanted to have a future where she accomplished something.. And what was he doing? Wallowing in self-pity. He was such a coward. He never lifted a finger to protect her, or help her. He never even attempted to keep their family together. Maybe if he wasn’t always such a good-for-nothing, Mother wouldn’t have left! Maybe Father wouldn’t have left. Maybe they’d still be a happy family if he just wasn’t there..

That evening, she stormed into Lucien’s room with the most serious expression that she had worn in a long while. She was tired of this behavior and it was going to stop now. “Get up, Lucien.”

_ “Leave me alone, please..” _

Penelope grabbed the comforter and pulled it off of him, a disgusted grimace appearing on her face at the sight of her pathetic brother. He was pale and had dark circles under his eyes, his pink hair sticking up in every direction. The anger she felt before was nothing compared to the storm of fury that was swirling in her stomach now. “What the hell are you doing, huh?! Trying to rot away!? You think you can just avoid all of your problems by hiding here like a coward?!” She grabbed him by his pajama shirt and dragged him out of the bed. Despite her appearance, this girl could definitely pack a punch and Lucien knew it.

“Let go of me!” Lucien shook his head, trying to pull her hand away. Tears formed in his eyes. He just didn’t want to face anyone anymore. He didn’t want to go outside! He didn’t want to go to school!

“You’re not even listening to me!” Penelope released his shirt, shoving him back as he did. Blue eyes looked up at her as if he were a deer in headlights. “This is all your fault! You useless big brother!” This was the first time she had called him that, and it felt like a knife had sunk deep into his abdomen with every word that followed. “Take responsibility for once in your life and get your ass out of bed!” The girl paused, her chest visibly rising and falling. Her face had grown a subtle shade of red amidst her tantrum. “Help me through school. At least do that, until I can move out and get a place of my own, far away from here.” Turning around and crossing her arms, she then huffed, “Once I do that, you can lay in that bed and die for all I care. But you owe me first.”

“O-Okay..” The sniffling boy got to his feet, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. “I don’t want to be useless anymore.. I’ll help..”

The next day was the first day in a month that Lucien showed up for school.

* * *

It had been about three months since that day. Since then, she had made a very decently sized group of friends. They each had each other’s backs and they all made sure to make any student who crossed them the wrong way regret doing so. It was clear to anyone that they ran the school socially. Anyone who was smart wouldn’t dare get on any of the girls' bad sides. Henrietta Warhol took this a bit too far and decided that it was necessary to try and gain extra protection for herself.

Warhol was a well-behaved girl in front of the teachers. She got average grades, was dating an average guy, and had an average amount of friends.. But apparently too much anxiety. Talking to her for more than a few minutes, it would quickly become clear that she had a pretty toxic attitude towards anyone she didn’t like. But that wasn’t really the issue. The issue was that she had stuck her nose where it didn’t belong.

The day three of them had just finished beating on a girl and decided to cut her hair for the fun of it was the day that Penelope noticed. With a quick glance up at the staircase that they were gathered underneath, she spotted Henrietta and her boyfriend, Charles, watching them. Anri had her phone out and it was obvious that she was video recording them. But Penelope said nothing until after the two had left. She then informed her friends of what had happened. Henrietta had video evidence that they were assaulting a student.. Evidence that could get them expelled from school. That didn’t sit well with any of them.

Of course, the next course of action was to confront Henrietta, which was exactly what they did. They asked her about the video, and it would seem as though a very one-sided fight was about to go down. But with quick proof of all the evidence that Anri had against them, it immediately became clear: They could do nothing.  _ They couldn’t touch her.  _ Now, there were many things they could do in order to stop this. One of them suggested catching Anri off guard on her way home and stealing her phone.. But nothing could assure that she didn’t have blackmail against them on some other device, and it would only put them in deeper water if they harmed her.

Much scheming against Henrietta went on. And for a while, even a student that had nothing to do with it could feel the tension between both parties. Eventually they all settled on a plan. It was a plan that would keep them from getting their hands dirty, and also make Henrietta give up her blackmail.

The unfortunate part was that, while their boyfriends and brothers had been put up to the task— ultimately, said boys decided on giving  _ Lucien _ the most important role. None of them wanted to get within five feet of Eyler, and Lucien didn’t have any ammo for argument anyway, so his first task was to speak with Charles.

Penelope didn’t think that he would have such an issue doing this even though she felt anxiety over it. Since it was her brother, she would take the heat from her own friends if he messed this up. A lot was at stake for her. But she knew Lucien and she had faith that he was fit for the job. He made friends easily, and being naturally friendly and a bit of a pushover would do that to a person. But of course she overestimated her overly emotional big brother.

At first it was going pretty well. Lucien befriended Charles and got in seemingly good terms with him. If Penelope didn’t know any better, she would say that Lucien was genuinely being friends with the dark haired boy. And she would have been right.

Was he stupid? She didn’t know _when_ it happened, but at some point his smiles towards Charles became genuine ones. Hell, she hadn’t seen him smile at her like that in ages. And as much as she hated to admit it, the more she saw them hanging out, or him texting the other on the phone, the more she grew.. _Jealous?_ No, she wasn’t jealous. Why would she be? She felt bad for Charles for having to put up with Lucien all of the time! She was definitely mad though. Of all the people Lucien could develop genuine feelings towards, it had to be the one person that he wasn’t supposed to. That figured. She really should have seen it coming.

It wasn’t just that she was disappointed, she was worried! What if he messed this up!? If he started seeing Charles as an actual friend then he might not go through with the plan.. Hell, he might even tell Charles about their plan. Everything would be ruined.

That was why she just about snapped after hearing that Lucien had spent the night at the Eyler residence. She had been seconds away from going on a rant about how dumb he was and how he needed to keep a safe distance and  _ once again _ remind him of what the plan was.. But his next words surprised her.

_ “I don’t want to be friends with Charles Eyler anymore..” _

As much as those words made her lips want to tug into a smile, she put on her best disappointed face. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. He didn’t want to be friends anymore, so obviously that meant he didn’t like Charles as much as she thought. But! She also needed him to keep it up, at least until they could act. "You have to." She placed her hands on her hips to make her look more serious. "I'm asking you to do this one simple thing for me, Luci. I thought you said you didn't want to be useless anymore."

"I.. I don't. But I don't want to-"

She really had to make sure to drive this point home, so she continued. "And what about me, huh? You care more about some random kid at school than you care about me!? You really are a horrible big brother. I just need you to do this one thing so that mean Henrietta won't hurt me anymore..!" Penelope was well aware that Henrietta wasn’t actually hurting anyone.. They were the bullies here after all. But she had to make herself out to be the victim or Lucien wouldn’t go along with it. And really, she would be hurting if Henrietta did anything! She could get expelled! All of her plans would go down the drain!

"Okay, okay, I'll do it!" Lucien really wasn’t the brightest to fall for the fake tears that she had used against him time and time again. Sometimes she really felt like smacking him for being so gullible.. It was better for her though.

Everything was back to how it should be. She must have just been seeing things when she thought Lucien really cared about what Eyler said. Or maybe whatever happened at his place made him not like him. Whatever the case. She didn’t really care.

“Penny, I accidentally killed a stray cat today..” He was searching for comfort and reassurance, she could tell just from the tone of his voice. It made her sick seeing someone his age acting so timid and childish, so desperate for her validation. Boys were supposed to be tough, weren’t they? That was what Father had always said. So why was her brother looking down into his lap with his fingers linked and fidgeting on the table? And over some random animal of all things..

“Yeah? Figures, you  _ cat killer _ . I told you to stop calling me that.” The nickname was really just to assert how much she hated ‘Penny’ rather than to hurt him. But it definitely did damage. She could practically see him deflating in his seat.  _ God, he irritated her.  _ “Hurry up and get in bed. We’re going on a class trip tomorrow, remember?” A light smack to the back of his head, and she left the kitchen. He’d learn eventually..

  
  


Despite what Penelope had said, Lucien got on the bus that morning extremely exhausted. He did go to bed when she told him to, but he found himself unable to sleep. Images of the dead cat and Charles’s mom made what sleep he did get unpleasant. A yawn left his lips, but it wasn’t audible over the sound of the rest of the teens who were already in the bus.

Penelope was near the back, already chatting away with her friends. Anri and her friends weren’t too far away from them. Lucien definitely didn’t want to sit with the girls, but his friends were being loud and too energetic for his tastes that morning. So he instead found the writer who was luckily sitting by himself near the front. “Do you mind if I sit with you?” The pink haired teen asked hopefully.

Charles smiled slightly and made a bit more space in response, Lucien sitting down and letting out a sigh of relief as the bus began to move right after. “Thanks. Sorry if I’m a bit out of it today… I don’t even know where we’re going.” He admitted.

“We’re going to the art museum. It’s about a good few hours away from here.” Charles explained before pausing, “You didn’t want to sit with your friends?” He didn’t need to ask why Lucien didn’t want to sit with his sister. After the day before, it didn’t take a genius to guess that they didn’t have the best relationship. It wasn’t that he minded the other sitting with him.. But he was used to having the space to himself or occupied by Anri.

Lucien shook his head. “No thank you.” His voice lowered a touch, “I really don’t feel up to being around them today. It gets tiresome sometimes.” Thank goodness he could rely on Charles when he needed someone calming to talk to. Even if Charles sometimes talked about really weird, philosophical things that he couldn’t understand.. It made his head hurt when he did that.

“How is C doing?” Lucien finally looked over at Charles, tearing his eyes away from the seat in front of them.

Charles looked like the topic almost pained him. “They’re fine.. They’re making preparations to leave soon.” He took a deep breath. “I agreed to be there with them. So..”

“Huh?” Lucien didn’t understand what he meant. Somewhere his mind made the connection as to what Charles was implying, but it was like he refused to let the thought surface. It wouldn’t cross him. “Oh.. I’ll have to talk to them myself later then.” He said simply. Maybe he was too tired to understand it, but in any case the other didn’t seem like he minded much.

Only an hour into the ride, Charles found his space rudely invaded by Lucien’s head leaning against his shoulder. The other really had been simply exhausted and the hum of the bus was enough to put him to sleep.

The writer couldn’t find it in him to push him away, so he allowed it, distantly wishing he had brought earphones or something to drown out the irritating chatter of the rest of their classmates. He hadn’t a clue how Lucien was sleeping through it, but he envied him.

“ _ Hehehe _ , Hey Anri, who’s that boy sleeping on your boyfriend?” One of the girls spoke. “Hm? Oh, I don’t know him. Probably some random kid.” Henrietta was quick to brush it off. She really didn’t care. Charles was dumb enough to let someone make him uncomfortable like that instead of pushing him off. She was lying anyway, she really did know Lucien, but didn’t want anyone to associate the two of them.

“Really? I could have sworn that I saw the three of you hanging out a couple of days ago..”

“What gives, Anri? Don’t tell us.. You have  _ two _ boyfriends!?” A collective giggling, but Anri rolled her eyes.

“Oh god, no. He’s just a friend of Charles’. I don’t care about him but he won’t leave us alone.” She crossed her arms. “You should go  _ assert dominance _ then, girl!” Another one of her friends suggested, “Sit on your boyfriend’s lap! Everyone should know who he belongs to!”

Normally, Anri would have laughed and went along with their suggestion without hesitation. But she did hesitate, glancing over at the two a few seats ahead. How would Charles feel if she did that..? Oh well, she would just tell him that it was for her friends later! They had to make their fake relationship convincing after all.

So with that in mind, Anri stood up, her skirt swaying underneath her. She took a few steps forward, ignoring the bark of the bus driver as she slid into Charles’s aisle and stepped around Lucien as if he wasn’t even there. The look of shock and surprise on the dark haired boy’s face as Henrietta sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around him was  _ priceless _ . And also made her feel guilty for a moment. “Ms. Warhol?” He said, discomfort clear on the tip of his tongue. “ _ Shh, it’s for my friends. _ ” She placed a finger to her lips, choosing to ignore the way that Charles almost looked sickened. Of course he didn’t like it. She just had to choose the weird one to fake a relationship, didn’t she? “Hey, back off my man.” She looked over at Lucien who was falling over, and gave his thigh a soft kick. It wasn’t meant to hurt him, nor would it, but it definitely woke him up.

“Wh-..  _ Ha? _ ” Lucien sat up straight, soon wiping the drool from his chin with the back of his hand. “ _ Anri, what are you doing..? _ ” He asked sleepily, the entire situation not having sunk in yet. But the moment he was awake and alert enough, his brows furrowed. Charles looked as if he was silently begging for help, like he wanted to jump out of his skin and run as far away as possible. “I’m asserting dominance. You can’t have my man.”

“I don’t want..  _ your man _ ? Seriously, what are you talking about.” Lucien had to look away dismissively out of guilt, hearing the faint laughter of amusement from the girls in the back. A mental sigh threatened to pass his lips but he kept it in. Poor Eyler just couldn’t get a break could he?

The rest of the road trip went on awkwardly and silently, with much internal screaming involved. So it was an intense relief when the bus finally stopped and the students were allowed to get off. As soon as they were inside, Lucien noticed that Eyler ran off to the nearest bathroom. He was tempted to follow after him, but his mind was taken off of it when he felt a sharp jab to his side. “Hey!” Twisting his head to look at the perpetrator, he found himself staring down at his sister. She shook her head. “Quit goofing off.”

“ _ Seriously, what did I do!? _ ” Why was everyone being weird to him!?

“Where is Eyler?” The teacher asked as she finished the headcount.

A hand was immediately raised. “I’ll go get him.” Lucien made a beeline for the men’s bathroom and stepped inside, unsurprised to find the boy in question standing over the sink. He was violently scrubbing at his hands.

“Hey!” He didn’t even bother trying to make his presence a secret. “Stop that!” Grabbing Eyler’s wrist, he pulled it away from the scalding hot water. “You’re going to ruin your han-” Lucien’s voice caught in his throat as he noticed— The other’s hands were already ruined. It wasn’t like he had seen them before, but he hadn’t assumed it was that bad. Maybe this was worse than he thought..

“I’m sorry, I-I have to.” Charles sounded panicked again, just like back at his apartment. No one had ever tried to stop him before, so he didn’t know how to react to it.

“I think that’s enough. Anri isn’t  _ that _ dirty, is she?” Although Lucien was seriously questioning why she would do such a thing when she knew that Charles suffered from this. Charles merely averted his eyes rather than answer. Lucien sighed at that, knowing perfectly well what that reaction meant. “You two are together aren’t you? Aren’t couples supposed to.. Uhm..”  _ What was the word? _ “Communicate?”

“Maybe you should tell her that what she did made you uncomfortable and-”

“No. It’s fine, really.” Charles cut him off quickly. The last thing he wanted was to be a burden. He didn’t need to burden Anri with the ridiculous things that could set him off like this..

Lucien looked at him with uncertainty. He didn’t know how couples were supposed to work. Maybe this just.. Worked for Anri and Charles? And yet he couldn’t get over the fact that the other looked really sickly. There was no way it could be healthy. But how was he supposed to help anyway? It.. wasn't his place. It was none of his business. Even if he thought Charles shouldn't be treating himself like this, he didn't have any place to say. “Alright.. Sorry.” He let go of his wrist quickly, not wanting to make it worse. “The group is waiting for you though.” The pink haired teen stayed in place as he watched Charles slip his gloves back on. Now they were both making everyone wait..

They walked with the group in silence. The paintings were certainly admirable and they were filled in on the vast history of the art pieces there. But Lucien’s mind was elsewhere. Charles was trying his hardest not to let his mind wander, or else that itch to  _ scrub off the infection _ would surely come right back.

Eventually, the voice of their teacher sounded again. “Has anyone seen Miss Warhol?” Everyone glanced around at each other, only for the entire group to collectively shake their heads or give a negative reaction. Henrietta was nowhere to be seen. It could only be assumed that she had gotten lost somewhere. So a small search party was put together.

Lucien was somewhat surprised to see Charles among the group along with some security officers. But he supposed it shouldn’t have been  _ that _ surprising. She was his girlfriend after all. He wasn’t sure he himself would be so quick to forgive her after something like that, even with his naturally submissive nature.. Then again, maybe he just didn’t really like Anri. She left a bad taste in his mouth and while he definitely didn’t hate her, he was pretty sure that a good portion of their group wouldn’t mind if she never came back again. It was a cruel thought, but a true one. 

Much to Penelope and friend’s dismay, They brought the girl back after finding her near the entrance. She had wandered off from the group by accident and her phone died. She was still sniffling as she hugged her friends. That girl sure liked to play it tough most of the time.. It almost reminded him of his own sister.

_ Haha, yeah right, as if she would cry over anything. _

The rest of the trip was entirely uneventful, but Lucien took note that Charles seemed a bit more at peace than he had been before. Perhaps something had happened while he was looking for Anri? He’d have to ask later. Luckily, the pink haired boy was able to sleep the entire ride back to school so no conversation was shared either.

The rest he got that night was peaceful in comparison to the previous. He wasn’t sure if he liked school trips or not.. But it was interesting to say the least.

A week went by and that morning, he was woken up by a phone call from Henrietta of all people. She had never called him before.. So it was very strange. “Have you seen Eyler? He wasn’t at school yesterday and he’s not answering my texts or calls. I need him.”

_ Charles was missing. _

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm Ren! I hope you like this fic so far. I swear I have a plan LOL. Feel free to hmu on Discord, my @ is @pick your struggle#2351
> 
> Penelope uses 'Girl B's design, while Lucien's is original. But here is what they look like
> 
> Lucien: https://ibb.co/FntNrC3
> 
> Penelope: https://ibb.co/Sx2LRyS


End file.
